1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for modifying the physical properties of a nanostructure, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for modifying the physical properties of a nanostructure using a focused electron beam, and a nano-barcode and serial-junction nanowire fabricated thereby.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previous studies on the structural, electrical and optical properties of π-conjugated organic polymers indicate that these π-conjugated organic polymers have excellent electrical properties and photoreactivity. Due to these advantages, these organic polymers are being used in place of metals as active layer materials or electrode materials in organic photoelectric devices, such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic solar cells (OSCs).
With the recent development of nanotechnology, nano-structures, such as nanowires, nanotubes or nanoplates, fabricated from π-conjugated organic materials, have been actively used for the fabrication of organic photoelectric devices.
In order to more effectively apply π-conjugated organic materials to organic photoelectric devices, it is necessary to control the optical and electrical properties thereof. Particularly, when the optical and electrical properties of a portion of nano-structures such as nanowires made of π-conjugated light-emitting polymers are controlled at the nanometer scale, the fields of application of the nano-structures become more diverse.
Barcodes possess a close relation with human life and have been widely used for sales management and electronic ordering systems in distribution fields, including department stores, convenience stores and supermarkets. In factories, barcodes are used for production management, quality control, and the management of raw materials and products in warehouses, thus greatly contributing to an increase in productivity and a reduction in production costs. In the field of office automation, barcodes are used for time and attendance management, asset management, data management, etc., thus greatly contributing to industrial development. Barcodes have been recognized as means that make it possible to rapidly and accurately collect data in various application fields.
Nano-barcodes can be used in nanoelectronic devices, photonic structures, nanosurgery devices, magnetic devices and the like. In addition, nano-barcodes can be used in various fields, including cell separation and magnetic labeling in the biomedicine field. However, the nano-barcodes that are currently being developed are mostly alternate arrangements of nanorods that are made of different materials in order to take advantage of the change in reflectivity or absorptivity attributable to the arrangement of the different materials.
In recent years, studies on the fabrication of various organic or inorganic nanomaterials using electron beams or ion beams, or on the modification of the physical properties of previously fabricated nanomaterials have been actively reported. For example, control technology for cutting or bending a portion of carbon nanotubes or graphenes has been reported. However, in these technologies, a target material is commonly changed to another material due to the high energy of the electron beams or ion beams. Thus, there is a need for studies on a method that can be used specifically to modify only the physical properties of the target material on the nano scale, or to modify only a specific portion of the target material while the original state of the target material is maintained.